Tuesday, April 5, 2016

1:23 PM

The state Government Accountability Board received a complaint today that GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump was campaigning at a Waukesha polling site.

Under state law, campaigning is not allowed within 100 feet of the entrance to a polling site.

GAB Elections Division administrator Michael Haas said the agency has reached out to the Trump campaign to make sure it is aware of the restrictions.

"We’re trying to just alert them to what the rules are and make sure it’s not happening at other polling sites," Haas said.

The agency received an email from a man whose wife voted this morning at Fire Station No. 5 off Summit Avenue in Waukesha. He included a photo of Trump outside the polling site, asking the agency if his activities violated state law.

Haas said the agency was told by the local clerk's office Trump entered the polling site. The Waukesha clerk did not immediately return a call, and Trump's campaign did not respond to an email.

UPDATE: Trump's campaign has posted to its Facebook page video of the candidate outside a polling place, taking pictures, signing a hat and greeting voters.

UPDATE 2: Haas said the GAB has now reached Trump's legal counsel to raise the issue. Trump's campaign pointed to an Election Board advisory opinion from 1978 that was reaffirmed by the GAB about candidates at polling sites. The campaign argued it left open the possibility that candidates could be at polling sites without violating the electioneering statute.

"I told them we advise candidates not to be in the polling place based on the definition of electioneering," Haas said. "I guess I would say there was not any agreement about whether there was a violation."

Haas added the local clerk was now unsure if Trump entered the polling site and was visiting there this afternoon to collect more information.